Rays' McGee back from paternity leave

St. Petersburg, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated reliever Jake McGee from the paternity list prior to Sunday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

McGee, who had been serving as Tampa Bay's primary closer since the struggling Grant Balfour was removed from the role last month, had missed the first two games of the Toronto series to be with his wife for the birth of the couple's first child.

The hard-throwing lefty has converted 6-of-7 save opportunities since June 15 and owns a 1.56 earned run average in 44 appearances this season.

Tampa Bay optioned Jeremy Hellickson to Double-A Montgomery to make room for McGee on the roster, with the move allowing the former AL Rookie of the Year to make a start in the minors during the All-Star break.

Hellickson returned from elbow surgery to make his season debut Tuesday against Kansas City, allowing one run over 4 1/3 innings.